My 2011 Recipe of the Year: Over-ripe-bananas biscotti! ...

I buy bananas every week. And, every week there are quite a few dark brown ones that no-one wants and usually they go straight into the freezer, leaving me to have to do something with an oversupply of over-ripe frozen bananas.

Baking a banana cake is getting a bit old for me now I have done it so many times.I have a very, very good recipe adapted from blokeswhobake.co.nz for banana cake, and am now very good at baking one, but there are still too many bananas and baking cakes is becoming boring.

So, I found a perfect, different recipe which uses my oversupply of overripe bananas- banana biscotti

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (really over-ripe) mashed banana (2 bananas)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped, toasted nuts eg walnuts or hazelnuts (optional)
1/4-1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine banana, oil, egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Add the flour mixture, toasted nuts and optional chocolate chips to the banana mixture and stir just until combined.

Divide the mixture in half and shape each half into an 8 inch log. Place the logs about 4 inches apart on a cookie sheet that has been greased or lined with parchment. Press the logs into two rectangles about 3 inches across.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until firm and cracked on top. Transfer the logs to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 135 degrees celsius.

Place logs on a cutting board, trim the ends and using a sharp, serrated knife, cut each diagonally into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices. Place biscotti cut side down on the cookie sheet. Return them to the 275 degree oven and cook for 20 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 20 minutes . Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

*Tip: I like these a little softer, so I reduce the final cooking time to 5-10 minutes per side. These are great dipped in chocolate, as well!

Makes 2 dozen